Oh, Brother
by StarryRavenFire
Summary: Everyone under 18 has to be adopted, no excuses. This new law will be causing trouble to a few individuals like: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and a few others. Who ends up living where? And who gets a new brother? Plz R&R.
1. Ichi: Adopt or Die!

06 March 2007

**A word from Starry: **I bring you a new Naruto story! Um, yay. I'm really having fun writing this story. I'm already writing the third chapter and it seems as though I'll probably write the fourth one tonight or tomorrow. Anyways, I hope this story is good and that you guys like it! I'm a big Naruto fan and I've read the manga and watch the Anime series, but I'm human so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'm not a computer so I don't memorize everything that is said so if I say or write something that is not correct, please bare with me! Thanks! Also, if they seem out of character, forgive me.

I had the pairings planned out in the first chapter but now after writing two chapters and planning the whole story out, I don't really know if those pairings will stick throughout the whole story. Anyways, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I am not Masashi Kishimoto. I just write fan-fiction!

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**Oh, Brother – Ichi – Adopt or Die!**

"Quiet down!" A tired Tsunade yelled a yell that didn't seem to work on the big crowd that had gathered in the Konoha auditorium. Ever since she'd announced the adoption law, everyone in the room was now discussing it. Sure it was normal for that to happen but AFTER she finished explaining. She'd only said, "There's a new law to adopt children with no parents," and the whole room went into a big uproar. Now she was impatient and no one was listening to her and Shizune.

"QUIET NOW!"

The whole auditorium got silent and immediately turned their attention to the red in the face Hokage, standing on the stage with a frightened Shizune holding a clipboard.

"Now," Tsunade began, moving the microphone to its original position. "As I was saying, the elders and I have decided to pass a law here in Konoha and that is that every child under the age of eighteen years of age needs to be living with a family." A small wave of whispers began rising in the audience but Tsunade immediately shut them up with a glare. "Shizune has the list of the all the children in Konoha who are living by themselves and are underage. I would like if each family came up here and picked what child they would be adopting so we can record it and send it off to the elders. If there is a child that is not taken, I will personally place that child into a family that has not adopted anyone. Those of you who adopt will be given some things to accommodate the take in as well as some paid expenses. This is for the good of our village as well as for a nice future for these children. Thank you."

After Tsunade-sama stepped off the pedestal, families began getting up and making their way up to where Shizune had the list. Some clans were outraged at this but knew that what the elders and Hokage did was for the right of village. Others were happy to be taking in children and housing them with love and comfort.

The whole afternoon went by and families were still choosing the children. Soon, evening fell and the list was almost done. Only two children remained which included: Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

The heads' of the Yamanaka family, Hyuuga family, and Haruno family remained in the auditorium staring down at the paper with the two names left un-adopted.

"Well gentlemen, who will you adopt?" Tsunade walked up them and took the clipboard from Shizune and picked up the pen. "Who will get Uchiha Sasuke?" she asked, eyeing the three men slowly.

"Well I'm not sure of this because I have a daughter," Yamanaka Inoichi said, scratching the bridge of his nose. "They're both teenagers and you never know what those damn hormones can do. Plus, Ino needs to focus on her techniques and missions instead of boys. I have to decline."

"I have a daughter as well," Haruno Sakyou said, shaking his head. "I don't want her getting sidetracked with boys."

Both Tsunade and Shizune turned their attention to Hyuuga Hiashi who was the only one left without having said anything.

"I have two daughters," Hiashi began, "and my nephew Neji. The boy is an Uchiha and even though we weren't rivals, we did have our differences." The head of the Hyuuga clan looked up at Tsunade and gave her a serious look.

"I didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice! Shizune, the paper."

"Hai!" Shizune ran behind stage only to come back a few seconds later with three small pieces of paper folded up. "Here they are, Tsunade-sama." The dark haired woman offered the papers to Tsunade as she said this.

Tsunade took them from Shizune and extended her hand towards the men, offering them the papers. "Each one of you pick one. Now."

All three men each got a piece of paper and before unfolding them, they looked at each other and nodded.

Once the three head of houses had unfolded the papers, Tsunade smiled and said, "Whoever has the number four written on their paper has to take Uchiha Sasuke in, if not then you will have to suffer the consequences of law breaking."

Shizune studied each of the men's faces to see who had gotten Sasuke. None of them showed sign of disappointment or any type of emotion so it was a bit hard to find out.

"I suppose it will be nice for Ino to have a step-brother to help her with her techniques and such. Where do I sign?"

Shizune smiled at Inoichi and handed him the clipboard and watched as the Yamanaka head signed his clan's name besides Sasuke's.

Tsunade smiled and patted Inoichi in the back. "Don't worry, he's a good boy."

"Yeah, he better be," mumbled Inoichi as he walked out with a wave.

The Hokage then turned to Hiashi and Sakyou with a grin on her face. "Now it's time to find a home for Uzumaki Naruto," she said, her voice getting low and her face expression changing into a mischievous dark one.

The Haruno head turned to look at Hiashi and they both nodded before turning to look back at Tsunade-sama who looked really happy to be doing this.

"Whoever has the number nine written on their paper has to take Uzumaki Naruto in, if not then you will have to suffer the consequences of law breaking." Tsunade glanced from Sakyou to Hiashi and back to Sakyou to see who the one to adopt the mischievous blonde was.

Without saying anything, Hiashi walked up to Shizune and signed his clans name beside Naruto's name. And with no word, he turned around and walked out of the auditorium leaving Shizune and Tsunade with wide eyes and a happy Sakyou.

--

The next day the auditorium was filled again but this time it was with the children that had been adopted. Each one was being given a paper with their family's name as well as where to find them. They were given the whole day to pack their things from their homes and then head to their future home. Some rebellious kids had decided that they didn't want to live with a new family but once they stepped outside they came back in looking very scared and saying they were happy to move in.

Naruto sat on one of the comfortable seats next to Sasuke, who had his arms crossed over his chest with a scowl on his face.

The blonde didn't really mind this whole adoption thing but he was sure going to miss his little apartment with his posters all over the wall and his empty ramen cups littering the floor.

"I wonder if we'll be able to leave after we turn eighteen," Naruto said, lifting his feet to rest them on the seat in from of him. When he heard no reply from Sasuke, Naruto turned his attention to his teammate and nudged him. "Hey, Sasuke, did you hear me?"

"What?" Sasuke didn't turn to look at Naruto, he just kept his gaze fixated on Shizune who was now walking towards them with two pieces of paper.

Naruto was going to repeat the question but decided not to ask when he was offered the paper. The blonde decided to just wait for Sasuke to open the paper before opening his.

The youngest Uchiha member unfolded his paper and began reading the contents. Everything was going well until Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked up at Shizune. "I'm staying here?" he asked, pointing at the paper.

Shizune leaned in to read the fine print before nodding with a small smile. "You are to pack your things and head straight to your new home!"

The ramen loving boy was curious to see who Sasuke had got but Sasuke had now crumpled the paper up.

"I hate this. It's so stupid, we're sixteen. We don't need any babysitters!" Sasuke got up and threw his wadded piece of paper on the floor before walking away from both Shizune and Naruto.

Quickly grabbing the paper, Naruto unfolded it and began reading it to find who Sasuke was staying with. When he saw the clan's name, Naruto began laughing. "I feel so sorry for that idiot."

"Now Naruto, don't be saying things like that. The Yamanaka's are a nice family and Tsunade-sama and I are pretty sure he'll be well taken care of. Why don't you open yours?" Shizune was curious to see the reaction of Naruto after finding out who he would be staying with.

"Alright," Naruto opened his paper and began reading. When he read his clan's name, he found himself with his jaw open and a bit of insecurity creeping in. "Are you sure I'm welcomed there? I mean, it's the Hyuuga clan… the noblest clan in all of Konoha." Why was he saying that? It's not like he was some criminal or anything. Besides, the Hyuuga's were humans too so there shouldn't be any reason to be getting all insecure about this. "Never mind, I'll go pack my stuff and head over to Neji's afterwards."

Shizune smiled at Naruto and nodded. She was about to turn around and leave but the blonde stopped her.

"Shizune-neechan, once we turn eighteen can we move out and back into our old homes?"

"Yes, Naruto, you can." With that, Shizune turned around and walked back to the stage, leaving an okay feeling Naruto behind.

Back in his small apartment, the blue eyed sixteen year old finished packing his clothes and important things. He picked up his bags and began making his way out of his apartment. Once all the things were out in the hallway, Naruto glanced around his small home one last time before closing the door and locking it with the key that he placed under a loose board on the floor.

Naruto picked up his bags and in a nice and steady pace, he began making his way to his new home, the Hyuuga clan residence.

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**Starry: **How was it? Was it good? Do you guys want to find out what's next?? Please review and tell me! Thank you! 


	2. Ni: Surprise Surprise!

07 March 2007

**A word from Starry: **Thanks for the awesome reviews! I'm glad that you guys liked it. It's really fun to write and I'm already on chapter five! yay! This is an AU story 'cause the kids are 16 and Sasuke hasn't gone off with Orochimaru and Akatsuki isn't after Naruto... yet. Well, I think I'll shut up now so go ahead and enjoy the second chapter!!

**Kind of a warning: **I'm a big Naruto fan and I'm reading the Manga and watch the Anime series, but I'm human so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'm not a computer so I don't memorize everything that is said so if I say or write something that is not correct, please bare with me! Thanks! Also, if they seem out of character, forgive me.

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**Oh, Brother – Ni – Surprise Surprise!**

"Finally! I can go home and relax!" Ino pushed back her bangs and placed her other hand on her hips. "Just thinking about getting into my nice and warm bed after a hot and bubbly bath makes me get chills."

Hinata stood and straightened up, thinking of what Ino had just said. That idea did sound nice and just imagining the feeling of being in her bed made Hinata blush a bit. How long had it been since she'd been home? A month? This mission had really taken a lot of time because they had been tracking down a criminal that was never in one village. Finally they had caught the culprit not far from the Village of the Sand. It was all thanks to Kiba and Akamaru's nose as well as Shikamaru's brain and Hinata's Byakugan eyes. Ino was now a high level medical ninja so she was asked to go along to complete the four man cell.

"Well, it might sound troublesome, but I think it's better if we start heading back to Konoha. Unless you guys want to rest here for the night resume our way back home in the morning." Shikamaru turned to face his team and waited for them to reply.

Ino made a face and shook her head, obviously showing that she wanted to go home as soon as possible.

Kiba gave her an annoyed look before turning to look at Shikamaru. "I think we should rest for the night and go back home in the morning, but that leaves us with an opening to be attacked. One of us would have to stay up guarding and the person who was left to guard would be tired the next day. So I vote for going home today before the sun sets."

Akamaru barked beside Kiba, letting everyone know that he agreed with his master.

"Alright, what about you, Hinata?" The Jounin ninja asked, turning to face the quiet girl.

She did want to go home right away but she was already tired from having to chase and fight with the enemies. _'I'm pretty sure if something were to happen along the way, they would do anything to help me. Right?'_ Hinata looked back at Shikamaru and said, "I agree with everyone else. I think it would be best to go home before the sun sets. We're not far from home so I'm pretty sure we'll be there around dinner time."

"So it's back home, ne?" Ino asked, looking at her teammates with a pleased smile. She would be able to go home and take a bath before going to bed. How delicious! Oh… she had to go and report the medical status to Sakura, and that would take a few hours. The blonde girl groaned in her head and hoped that the stupid 'senpai' wasn't too busy by the time she arrived.

"Yes, let's head back." With that, Shikamaru nodded and jumped off the ground to the tree branches in the direction of Konoha with the rest of the team following him.

--

The moment that Naruto had entered the Hyuuga residence, a bubble of fear had risen up inside of him. He didn't really know why but all he knew was that he was to behave here or else… who knew what would happen. Lucky for him, Neji had been waiting for him to lead him to where he would be spending the night. Naruto had not unpacked because he was told he would be given his own room once the princess of the house came back from a mission.

The blonde only nodded and followed his now cousin out to meet his new father… Hyuuga Hiashi. Swallowing hard, Naruto stood up straight and brushed off his clothes to make a good impression. Sure he'd told himself not to feel insecure about this but deep down he couldn't help but feel it.

Neji knocked on the sliding door and waited for an answer. A 'come in' was heard from behind the doors and the dark haired boy turned to face Naruto and nodded. He opened the doors and the two boys stepped in.

Hiashi sat in front of a table that had two tea cups on it and two small saucers. Noticing the lack of a tea cup and plate, Neji nodded to his uncle before excusing himself out of the room. The head of the Hyuuga clan nodded to his nephew before turning to look at Naruto. "Please have a seat."

Obediently, Naruto made his way to the small table and sat on the floor the same way Hiashi was sitting, on his knees. The blonde wanted to look around but found that his attention and head didn't want to move from the older man's vision. It was strange, he thought, because to him it seemed as though no other adult could 'tame' him or control him but with just one look, Hiashi managed to keep him in line… so far.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Hiashi said, breaking the now long silence that had built up. "I am Hyuuga Hiashi and this is your new home."

Naruto nodded.

"I have been informed that you may move back to your home once you've turned into an adult, so I'm not going to assume that you will stay here for a long time. I am not going to ask you to drop your surname, Uzumaki, and add the Hyuuga name to it because I believe you are who you are and a new name would do you no good at this age. If you wish to add Hyuuga to your name, you may do so. From now on though in the legal papers that the Hokage has you will appear as Naruto Uzumaki Hyuuga." Hiashi paused to take a small sip of his tea.

There was no expression on his face but Naruto noticed that he didn't seem to look mean and strict like he'd heard from peers out in the street. That was something that Naruto was happy about, because now he could relax a little and not be so stiff.

"The Hyuuga residence is a big place so there are many rooms and a lot of outside space, but there aren't that many people living here. Neji, Hanabi, Hinata, myself and now you will be the only ones that reside here. You will have your own room but we can't decide where it is until my daughter returns from her mission. I don't know when she'll return but for the moment you can stay in the guests' room near the front door." The clear eyes of Hiashi never left Naruto's as he spoke and it was now making Naruto a bit nervous.

His fingers were now fidgeting under the table and he really wanted to move his leg but he didn't want to disrupt the calmness of the room. Why'd he end up in this house? Had it been Tsunade-obasan the one who put him here as an evil joke? He'd have to go talk to her when he was able to get out of here. The younger boy's thoughts were broken when he heard the other person begin to talk once more.

"We all eat dinner together at eight o' clock and that ends at nine. After dinner, you all have an hour to finish your daily doings before going to your room and going to rest. In the morning, we have breakfast at seven until eight and afterwards you have the whole day to do your tasks. If you are in the residence around noon, then lunch is available from one to two. We have Abarai-san from the Abarai clan who comes everyday to prepare our meals and keep the house clean when the girls aren't here to keep the place neat."

Was this almost over? Naruto thought, as he sat there, his fingers twirling around and his legs now numb from having to hold his weight too long. He could hear Hiashi talking but at the moment nothing the older man was saying was registering in his head. All he wanted to do was get up and stretch his legs and then go eat. He was thankful that his stomach wasn't growling and making him look bad in front of the head of the Hyuuga clan. Right! Hinata also lived here. He'd forgotten that she was also a Hyuuga, so when she was mentioned earlier he remembered that she was Neji's cousin and now… she was his sister.

"Is that clear, Naruto-san?" Hiashi gave him a look that didn't really mean anything threatening but it was an expression that meant order and intellect.

What was clear? Naruto swallowed hard and nodded. "Hai, it's clear, sir." Great, he hadn't heard the last part of the old man's speech!

"Alright then, I suppose that is all you had to hear from me. Neji will explain anything that I did not go over. Oh, yes, tomorrow in the afternoon I'd like for you to go to the center yard. That is all," Hiashi nodded towards Naruto, signaling him that he was free to stand up and go.

At this, Naruto slowly stood up and nodded to Hiashi before making his way out of the room. His legs felt funny and his head was buzzing with the new information that he'd just received. Was Sasuke being treated like this?? '_I hope that idiot is having it worst than me!'_

"Hey, Naruto! Over here."

The blonde turned his attention to where his name had been shouted from. Neji stood in the doorway of a dark room that was beside the room he had come in through. Naruto guessed that was probably the guest room where he would be staying in until the princess of the house arrived.

"So how was it?" Neji asked, a ghost of a smile on his face. He'd heard the same thing when he had first moved into the head family house from the branch family house.

"Very… un-Naruto-ish." The boy scratched the back of his head before walking into the room to find a corner to lie down in.

Neji shook his head and laughed a small laugh. "I see, well then, I'll leave you to rest. I have to finish training. See you at dinner." Neji turned around and walked out of the room before sliding the doors closed to leave a tired Naruto to sleep.

--

It was exactly eight o' clock when Shikamaru's team arrived at the gates of Konoha. The four of them smiled and felt relieved to know that tonight, they'd be sleeping in their beds.

Shikamaru thanked and congratulated them for completing the mission before going off to inform the Hokage of their completed task. He'd told them that there was no need for them to go with him and that they could go home and eat before it was too late.

Ino complained about how she had to go and report the medical status to Sakura and had to wait a few more hours before going home. She hugged Hinata goodbye and turned around to head to the Konoha hospital where a pink haired kunoichi was waiting for her.

Kiba offered to walk Hinata home so both Team eight members walked together towards the Hyuuga residence.

Hinata was tired and didn't really want to eat, so she was going to go and lie and say she'd already eaten. All she wanted to do was take a hot bath and then go to bed and sleep. She already had plans on what she was going to do the following day so she didn't need to worry about what was going to happen.

Arriving at the front gates of her house, Hinata thanked Kiba and waved goodbye before turning around to walk inside the house. Once inside, the house was dark and quiet like always. She took off her ninja sandals as well as her hoodie sweater and placed it by the door where she always did when she came home. The aroma of teriyaki chicken met her nose and it made her stomach grumble a bit. Blushing, Hinata patted her stomach and walked towards the dinner area where she knew everyone was.

It didn't really bother Naruto the fact that it was quiet while eating dinner. The only thing he was curious about was why it was only Neji, Hiashi and himself eating dinner. Where was the other girl? What was her name? Halite? Hannah? Hanabi? Why weren't they having ramen! Rice was okay but he needed his daily bowl of ramen…

"Sumima-" Hinata didn't finish her phrase because right there and then she noticed the boy she really really liked sitting in the spot where she always sat to eat dinner with her family.

"Hinata-sama, welcome back home." Neji stood up from the table and walked over to one confused and embarrassed Hinata.

What was Naruto doing in her house!? Hinata couldn't move and she was pretty sure her face was as red as a tomato. She wasn't dressed appropriately and her hair was a mess! Plus, she was dirty and probably smelled of sweat mixed with dirty. "What's this?" she managed to ask, looking at her father then at Neji and lastly at Naruto.

Neji now stood beside his cousin and with a small smile that only she saw, said, "Hinata-sama, Naruto is now your brother."

'_WHAT!?'_

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**Starry: **How'd you guys like it? I hope it pleased you all:) Please review and tell me what you thought about it. Thanks!

For those of you that don't know Japanese or don't watch the Japanese audio anime and don't know what some words mean, here they are:

_**Hai - **Yes_

_**Sumimasen - **Excuse Me, Sorry, Pardon Me_


	3. San: Your Idiot Brother

08 March 2007

**A word from Starry: **Updating again, because I can and want to. Thanks for liking this story! Thank you. I hope you guys continue to like it. Enjoy!

**Kind of a warning: **I'm a big Naruto fan and I'm reading the Manga and watch the Anime series, but I'm human so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'm not a computer so I don't memorize everything that is said so if I say or write something that is not correct, please bare with me! Thanks! Also, if they seem out of character, forgive me.

**_Summary: _**Everyone under 18 has to be adopted, no excuses. This new law will be causing trouble to a few individuals like: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and a few others. Who ends up living where? And who gets a new brother?

**Disclaimer: **Not Masashi, so don't bring problems!**

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**Oh, Brother – San – Your Idiot Brother**

This was the stupidest law to ever exist! Seriously, why did everyone want to adopt a child that was not theirs? Sasuke couldn't understand why this was happening and why he had been chosen to stay over at Ino's place. If he had been given a choice, he would have chosen either the Hyuuga clan or the Nara clan. Anything but the Yamanaka clan! Well… at least he wasn't living with Sakura…

The Uchiha survivor arrived at his destination and with a scowl, walked into the flower shop that was owned by his new family. He was expecting Ino to jump out from behind the cash register and attack him with questions and other things he didn't like. To his surprise, he found that the place was empty… except for an older version of Ino.

"Welcome, Sasuke-kun." Yamanaka Haruka said, walking around the desk towards Sasuke. She had a soft smile on her face and her blue eyes were a lot brighter than Ino's.

"Thank you," Sasuke said, his tone not too friendly. This woman reminded him of Ino but without the crazy attitude and the blonde hair. Haruka's hair was a light brown with light blonde highlights that the Sharingan bearing boy couldn't help but notice.

"Inoichi told me that you'd be joining our family," Haruka's expression still held that smile and now the cheerfulness was visible in her eyes. "I already prepared your room so all you need to do is fix your things and you'll be home!"

All Sasuke did was nod and avoid looking at Haruka in the eyes. He was angry and annoyed at the fact that he had to move into some other families' house and then go on living as if he'd been there his whole life.

"Let me close the shop for a while and then I'll walk you to the house and show you around." Haruka walked over to the front door and locked it before walking back to the cash register and locking that as well. After she was done, she walked to a back door that was closed and opened it. "This way."

Sasuke followed Haruka up some stairs and was even more irritated when they finally arrived at the Yamanaka residence entrance. If the house was right above the flower shop, why did it take so long to get there?

"Forgive me for not introducing myself downstairs, I was just too excited to remember the proper introduction," Haruka closed the door behind him and smiled. "My name is Yamanaka Haruka and I am Inoichi's wife and Ino's mother. Dozo yoroshiko." Haruka bowed down in front of Sasuke with her hands together in front of her.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke, dozo yoroshiko." He too bowed down and showed her the same respect. Well so far she wasn't as crazy as that Ino girl, he thought, as he followed Haruka through the living room to the first room in the hallway.

"This is Ino's bedroom," she said, opening the door to the room. "At the moment, she's out in a mission. We don't know when she'll be back, but I'm pretty sure it'll be soon since she's already been gone for a month."

The room was neat and tidy with nothing out of place. The walls were decorated with white lilies and cosmos surrounding some sakuras. The small bed was right beside a big window and Sasuke wondered if Ino would actually sneak out of her bedroom at night.

He turned around and followed Haruka, who had now moved on to the bedroom at the end of the hallway. The whole house was really different from his house back in the Uchiha part of Konoha. His house was the old traditional Japanese style, while Ino's house was modern and much different from what he was normally used to.

"This is Inoichi's and my room. I don't think you'll ever have to come in here unless it's an emergency." Haruka laughed a small laugh and stepped aside to let Sasuke have a glimpse into the master bedroom.

The room Haruka shared with her husband was simple and all it had was a bed and a small desk decorated with fresh flowers in a vase filled with clear water. Sasuke preferred this room over Ino's girly room and hoped that his room wasn't like the one he didn't like.

"Now, this room here is your room. I have been cleaning it and trying to make it so that a boy will like it." Haruka looked up at him and smiled at him, for the hundredth time.

Sasuke walked to the room and studied it carefully before taking a step inside. His room did not have any flower decorations on his wall and he too had a large window beside the bed. Right beside the bed was a small desk with a lamp and across from the desk and bed was a small dresser with three drawers. Surprisingly, Sasuke found that it was perfect for him. He set his things on the bed and walked towards the window and looked out.

His room was on the side that faced the street in front of the house. From up here, he would be able to see the customers who walked into the store and he was able to see the rooftops of several small buildings. This wasn't so bad.

"How is it?"

He'd forgotten that Haruka was there so when she spoke, he was a bit startled. Turning around, he nodded and said, "Thank you." He then turned back around and continued looking out the window.

Without another word, Haruka smiled again and nodded. "Very well, I'll be downstairs in the flower shop if you need anything." Ino's mother closed the door and left Sasuke alone.

--

"Thank you very much, Ino, that was very informative." Sakura finished writing the last few notes that Ino had told her about the mission she'd just returned from. "Tsunade-sama will be pleased to know that everyone in this team is healthy."

"So can I go home now?" Ino asked, her right hand on her hip.

Sakura looked up from the papers and glared at the blonde. "No" She smirked and waited for the other girl's reaction.

Ino glared back at Sakura and crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you mean no? I'm done with my assignment! I want to go home and rest! I've been out of the village for a month now and I just want to go home and sleep!"

Sakura stood up from her seat and walked around her desk to stand right in front of Ino. "I'm your senpai, so you have to respect me, Miss Yamanaka." Sakura made a goofy face that always seemed to annoy Ino.

"You're so immature, Forehead Girl!"

"So are you, Ino-pig!"

Both girls glared at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter the next. Even though both girls didn't act like it, but deep down they were best friends and knew they would be each other's back up whenever one of them needed it. It was just fun to annoy each other.

"A new law was passed in Konoha recently. I now have a little brother," Sakura said, as she walked back to her desk and began organizing files.

Ino was surprised. "What? Aren't yours parents too old to be sprouting kids?" She made a face that clearly showed, 'Eww!'

The pink haired kunoichi glared at the blonde girl before shaking her head. "No, idiot, the new law says that everyone who is under the age of 18 living on their own have to be adopted by a family. So there are no kids living by themselves anymore." Sakura put away some folders in the book shelves behind her desk before turning around to look at Ino once more. "My father came home late with a ten year old boy whose parent's died last year in a fire."

"How sad! Do you think we got a kid too?" Ino asked, as she moved beside Sakura to help her finish putting the folders away.

"I heard my dad say you got stuck with a brother too. He wouldn't tell me who it was, but I'm pretty sure you got stuck with an idiot!" Sakura burst out laughing and didn't stop when Ino gave her a really bad glare.

"I'm leaving! Have fun putting things away by yourself." With that, Ino walked out of the hospital office, leaving a laughing Sakura behind.

--

It was dinner time in the Yamanaka residence so Sasuke was sitting at the end of the table with Mrs. Yamanaka on one side and Inoichi sitting across from him on the other end. The food was really good but Sasuke was not going to say that because he didn't feel like complimenting his new guardian.

So far everything in his new house was going well. His room wasn't girly and his guardians weren't idiots like he thought they would be. Plus, their annoying daughter was out on a mission and Sasuke was sure she would be gone more because well… because she was Ino.

Of course, his eyes widened and he froze when he heard a familiar voice shout, "I'm home!" from the living room.

'_Great, she's here.'_

"Ino we're in the dining room having dinner," Haruka said, as she got up from her place in the table to prepare a plate for her daughter.

Ino walked into her room and threw her backpack on the floor before untying her hair and walking out to see her parents. Man it was so good to be back at home after one month of being in the forest and small villages! The blonde didn't really want to meet her new family member but a part of her did. She wanted to establish ground rules with the little brat and declare herself superior than him.

Walking into the dining room she immediately stopped and her blue eyes widened. Was that? Ino's heart was beating fast and a big smile began appearing on her face. Uchiha clan symbol on his back… blue shirt… black hair… "Sasuke?"

Haruka walked back into the dining room and set the plate across from her in the table. "Yes, Ino, that's Sasuke, your new brother. Now hurry, sit down and eat dinner."

'_Sasuke is my brother!??'_

'_Great, this is some hell I'm in…'_

* * *

**Starry: **-cackles- Ha! Sasuke is about to get what he deserves... hehe. Anyways, I haven't really read anything about Ino's mum so I felt free to make up her name as well as the Yamanaka home. I suppose I should say, "poor Sasuke" but I'm really enjoying writing this. hehe. Please review and tell me your thoughts! Thanks!

_**Dozo Yoroshiku/o -** Pleased to meet you, Pleasure to meet you, Our first meeting_


	4. Yon: Girls Don't Want Brothers

08 March 2007

**Starry: **Yeah, I updated twice today, but the other one was at 12:00am and it's now 10:15. Yay! Well here's chapter four of Oh, Brother! Enjoy! Thank you.

**Kind of a warning:** I'm a big Naruto fan and I'm reading the Manga and watch the Anime series, but I'm human so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'm not a computer so I don't memorize everything that is said so if I say or write something that is not correct, please bare with me! Thanks! Also, if they seem out of character, forgive me.

_**Summary:** _Everyone under 18 has to be adopted, no excuses. This new law will be causing trouble to a few individuals like: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and a few others. Who ends up living where? And who gets a new brother?

**Disclaimer:** Not Masashi, so don't bring problems!

* * *

**Oh, Brother – Yon – Girls Don't Want Brothers**

When Hinata woke up, she was in her room on her small bed and the morning sun was shining through her window. She stretched and fixed her mid back long hair before swinging her legs over her bed and getting up. She'd go into the bathroom and brush her teeth and then she'd walk right back into her room and prepare her things to take a shower.

On her way to the bathroom, Hinata remembered the dream she'd had during the night. A wave of disappointment washed through her as she knew that Naruto would never ever step foot inside her house and eat in the same spot she always ate in. "Now why would Naruto-kun become my brother?" she asked herself out loud before opening the bathroom door.

"Because that's what the new law in Konoha says."

Hinata's eyes widened and her heart began to accelerate. A shirtless Naruto stood in front of her with fresh minty breath and a really really cute smile. Oh god… what was she wearing? A white t-shirt with small boy shorts. When was the last time she'd shaved her legs? OH MY GOSH! Her face turned really red and she immediately stepped behind the door to hide her body from his sight.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto said, giving her a questioning look. What was wrong with her? "Are you okay?"

All Hinata could do was stare at him with her mouth open and her face burning hot. Why was this happening to her? _'Great! Now I can't look bad in my own house because Naruto is here! Oh gosh…'_

"Are you alright? Do you need help?"

The Hyuuga heiress saw that Naruto was no longer standing where he was; instead he was right behind her with his hand on her shoulder.

"I-I-I'm fine! I just… eto… I really need to go to the bathroom…" Hinata quickly ran away from Naruto and went into the bathroom before slamming the door shut.

Naruto just stood there, having no clue what just happened. All he knew was that he would have to wait for Hinata to use the bathroom every morning before he could use it. "Man, I know how she feels." The blond turned around and walked back to the guest room to finish getting ready.

In the dark bathroom, Hinata banged her head against the wall beside the mirror. '_He thinks I'm an idiot! Hinata no baka! Hinata no baka! Why? He's really my brother? So it wasn't a dream? What happened?'_ All the questions were making her feel dizzy so she stopped stressing her mind for answers she didn't have.

The dark haired girl brushed her teeth and washed her face more than four times. She brushed her hair and stared at herself in the mirror. Well, at least now she would be close to Naruto-kun and he'd get to know her more and probably, he'd like her back! So there wasn't a bad side to this, all she needed to do was try and not be shy around him and make a fool of herself.

'_Wait…'_

Hinata looked up at her reflection and her eyes widened once more.

'_Naruto is now my brother… which means… I can't have any feelings for him…'_

She could feel her breathing become slow and her heart was once more beating fast. No, that couldn't be right, right? If Naruto was her brother, then she couldn't marry him or dream of a future with him because… because it was just wrong to love your brother!

'_But he's not my brother! He's Naruto-kun, not my brother.'_

"Hinata-sama, your father wants you to take a shower right now and finish your breakfast because he wants to see you battle against your brother. He wants to see Naruto's strong points in battle and he wants to see how strong you've gotten during the time you've been gone."

"…_battle against your brother…" "…battle against your brother…" "…your brother…" "…brother…"_

--

"WHAT!?"

It was good that Ino had pulled the phone away from her ear, because if she would have kept it close to the receiver, she was pretty sure it would be bleeding. Sakura's scream should be labeled a hazard to humanity, Ino thought, as she placed the phone back beside her ear.

"You heard me, my _idiot_ brother is no other than Sasuke!" Ino said this with a smirk and Sakura, who was raging with anger on the other side of the phone line, could hear that Ino was smirking.

"Ino-pig! You stupid girl! YOU'RE A LIAR!"

"You don't believe me? Let me prove it to you!" Ino got off her bed and ran out of her room and barged into Sasuke's.

A surprised, and now very angry, Sasuke jumped off his bed and said, "Don't you know how to knock!?"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but Sakura didn't believe that you are now my brother! I had to prove it to her." Ino laughed and then went back to talking to Sakura. "See? You heard him. Sasuke lives in my house and not yours! Ha!"

There was a very long silence… well it would be silence but you could hear Sakura's heavy and angry breathing and it was the sound of satisfaction to Ino. The silence was shattered though, when Ino heard Sakura laugh.

"Why are you laughing Forehead Girl?" The blue eyed girl was curious as to why Sakura was laughing.

"I'm not jealous of your situation because Sasuke-kun is your brother and I'm pretty sure it would be weird to have people know that you have feelings for your brother! What would your parents say?"

'_Ugh! That idiot is right! My parents will definitely disapprove and… DAMN IT! Stupid Sakura!'_

"I see I shut the pig up. Ha!" Sakura laughed even more and it infuriated Ino even more.

"You know what… it's a waste of time talking with you. Bye." Ino hung up abruptly and walked back into her own room and threw herself on the bed.

'_Sasuke is my brother! Aww! Why couldn't stupid Sakura get him as a brother? Well, Sasuke was her step-brother, so it wasn't a real crime to actually like him.' _

"Why did they have to pass this stupid law?"

--

Hinata finished taking a shower and was now in her room getting dressed for her match against Naruto. Her heart was beating fast and she was a bit nervous. She knew that Naruto was much stronger than her but she was strong too and was afraid that she'd hurt him.

Looking at her reflection in her mirror, she smiled at herself before tying her long hair in a ponytail. She didn't want it to get in the way and make her mess up in front of both Naruto and her father. Her skills were going to be observed by two really important people in her life and she didn't want to disappoint them.

Seeing that everything was ready, Hinata walked out of her room and made her way towards the yard where she knew every match happened. The closer she got to it, the more relaxed she felt and her heart began to beat at its normal pace.

'_I will impress Naruto-kun and he'll acknowledge me even more! My father will be proud to say that I've become strong and will be the right choice as heir of the Hyuuga clan.'_

--

"Why don't doors have locks in this house?" Sasuke asked himself after looking for any way to keep Ino out of his room.

Just seconds before the blonde girl had barged in he'd been shirtless on his bed. Thinking of what might have happened if he hadn't put on his shirt made him get shivers, and not the good kind of shivers but the ones that he rarely got. Girls were so weird, Sasuke thought as he walked back to the window and began staring at the people that were walking on the street below.

Of course, the short peace ended when his _sister_ threw the door open and walked in. He didn't need to turn around because he knew that the girl would walk towards him and stand beside him and talk. Was that bastard Naruto having a hard time? Sasuke hoped he was, because he didn't want to admit to the idiot that he was in hell.

--

"I'm sorry Shikamaru, but you are needed in this mission. I know you just got back from one yesterday, but this is an emergency."

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head as he listened to the Hokage talk to him. He'd been having a nice nap when his new little sister woke up to tell him that he was being called by the Hokage. Quickly, the Jounin ninja got up and dressed immediately before rushing off towards the Hokage building.

It was troublesome alright, very troublesome. He was tired and he didn't think he would be on another mission until a week later, but he was wrong. "It's alright, Tsunade-sama, I accept the mission. Besides, you say this one will take about three to five days, correct?"

Tsunade re-read the paper in front of her before looking up at Shikamaru and nodding. "Yes, this mission will be a short one, but it's really important. A life is depending on this mission, so I've written the names down of two people I want you to take because they are the ones that will be doing the life saving." Tsunade handed the document to Shikamaru before continuing. "I've already informed her of this and she's accepted, so there's no need to tell her again. I suggest you go and look for the remainder members of your team and head out in three hours. I'll be sending out the village hawk to inform the Kazekage of our answer. I leave this now to you, Shikamaru."

"Alright then, I'll be retreating now." Nara Shikamaru left the Hokage's office and began his mission to find his members for the team. While he rushed through the roofs of buildings, Shikamaru glanced down at the paper and read the names that Tsunade had written down.

_**Medical Ninjas needed for the Sand Village mission**_

_Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino_

"Well, I guess Ino won't be happy to know that she has to leave her house for another week." Shikamaru chuckled, imagining the blonde's reaction. That was two ninjas, now he needed one more… From the information that Tsunade had given him, he needed someone with very good eye sight. "Ah, she'll be perfect. I'll have to tell her after I tell Ino," with that, Shikamaru increased his speed and headed towards Ino's house.

* * *

**Starry: **Even though I already have 80 percent of the story planned out, I don't know what's really happening. Is that weird? Like I don't know... I wanted it to be romantic but then I found it amusing to have Ino torture Sasuke-kun. So this story has a little bit of everything... kind of. Oh and in the next chapter, Sasuke really really gets tortured. MUAHAHAAHA I think I'm becoming a fan of Sasuke now... all because I'm torturing him and imagining him all cute when I do all those evils to him. Sorry, I'm just ranting. Ignore that. Anyways! Tell me what you think! Arigatou! 


	5. Go: I Love Flowers!

09 March 2007

**A word from Starry: **Okay, here's chapter five of this story and I think it's a favorite one so far. It might change since writing chapter seven has become very fun for me. Question: Is the summary exciting? I think it sucks... can anyone come up with a better one or tell me how I can make it interesting? Or is it alright like that? I'd like to know because my sister read it and said it was boring and didn't look interesting. Anyways, please enjoy this crazy fic!

**Kind of a warning:** I'm a big Naruto fan and I'm reading the Manga and watch the Anime series, but I'm human so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'm not a computer so I don't memorize everything that is said so if I say or write something that is not correct, please bare with me! Thanks! Also, if they seem out of character, forgive me.

_**Summary:** _Everyone under 18 has to be adopted, no excuses. This new law will be causing trouble to a few individuals like: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and a few others. Who ends up living where? And who gets a new brother?

**Disclaimer:** I wish I owned them, but I don't!

**

* * *

**

**Oh, Brother – Go – I Love Flowers!**

Naruto was excited to know that he would be fighting today, the only thing that was weighing that excitement was… that his opponent was Hinata. He wanted to oppose that but he knew that Hiashi wanted to see the skills that Naruto had and what his strong points were. The blond also knew that Hiashi wanted to see how strong Hinata had gotten in the month that she was away, so that was why this was happening.

Still it would have been nice if his opponent wasn't Hinata. He'd have to be careful not to hurt her, but if he was careful then Hiashi would think he was weak and probably say he wasn't good enough for the Hyuuga clan.

Hinata finally arrived at her destination and her stomach did a flip flop. During her month away, she hadn't learned any new Jutsus… BUT she did do a lot of fighting so she was sure she'd gotten stronger. The dark haired girl just hoped her father didn't consider her a weakling and continue to pronounce her little sister, Hanabi, far stronger than her.

Both teens stood in the center of the courtyard while Hiashi and Neji sat on two wooden benches on the side. Hanabi wasn't present as she was off training with her team on the other side of the village. Hinata was pretty sure that if her sister was here, she'd be cheering for her. Thinking of her sister cheering for her made Hinata smile and get a bit excited for this. Naruto noticed the change in Hinata and he too felt a bit more relaxed and excited to begin this.

"Begin!"

Naruto immediately ran towards Hinata and lifted his leg to kick the girl's legs. She quickly blocked his attack and then proceeded to hit him in the chest, but Naruto rapidly blocked it with his hand and she had to jump back.

'_He's fast! Of course, he's Naruto-kun. What did I expect?'_ Hinata positioned herself in the Hyuuga signature stance and began thinking of ways to attack. Suddenly, she noticed that Naruto was now doing seals for… her eyes widened a bit and she tightened her pose for his attack.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

Four exact replicas of Naruto popped out of the air and instantly headed towards the Hyuuga heiress. Hinata quickly came up with a strategy in her head and changed her position.

"_Shugo Hakke, Rokujuuyonshou_!"

--

The afternoon was shining really bright and Sasuke's room was being illuminated completely. This was irritating the Sharingan bearing boy because he wanted it to be dark so he could continue to do what he'd been doing the whole day… sitting down at his desk and staring at the desk.

Clearly Sasuke _detested_ this new law and hoped that some clever person would quickly undo it and return things to how they were before. He didn't want to live with other people and he didn't want to have a sister, who was clearly trying everything to make him become Sakura's brother so she could continue to like him. His guardians weren't bad at all to him and that was what was bothering him. He'd prefer if they were mean to him and irresponsible that would just not care about him. But both, Inoichi and Haruka, were caring and responsible adults.

It bothered the dark haired boy how similar Haruka was to his mother. He especially hated when he remembered a specific event he'd done with his mother while he was around Haruka. Even now as he sat down at his desk doing nothing, he was beginning to remember his mother.

"_Sasuke-kun, you haven't eaten your dinner? Why is that?" His mother kneeled beside him, placing a delicate hand on his small shoulder._

_A four year old Sasuke looked up at his mother and shook his head slowly. "Itachi-nii san said that if I were to eat a lot, I'd become too big to fit through the door. I don't want that to happen…"_

_His mother laughed softly before wrapping her arms around her son and embracing him in a gentle hug. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, that won't happen! Trust me, your appetite is normal. Don't listen to your brother, he's just jealous because you can eat a lot more than him." She picked up his chopsticks and placed them in his hand. "Now let's eat!"_

He shut his eyes really tight and tried to shake that memory out of his mind. Sasuke knew that if he continued to think about his mother, he'd just end up with tears in his eyes and he didn't want to cry. Especially in this house that he had just moved into the day before because it just wasn't right for him to cry. No, not until Itachi was dead, then he would cry.

Thinking about Itachi made Sasuke's sadness fade away and let anger replace it. What had his family done to Itachi? Nothing, nothing and that bastard had gone mad and killed every single soul in the Uchiha clan. Sasuke clenched his hand into a fist and felt the need to punch something. He would have probably punched the desk if it hadn't been for a particular blonde who happened to burst into the room.

Turning around, Sasuke glared at Ino and with venom in his voice, said, "Don't you have any manners?"

Ino ignored him and quickly took out a camera and snapped a picture of him scowling. She smiled and pocketed the camera before the boy could take it away. "I don't want you as my brother! Why couldn't you be Sakura's brother?" Ino crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, before walking up to his bed and sitting on it.

Sasuke stood up from his small chair and glared at her. "You really don't care about other people's spaces." What was wrong with this girl? Was she even listening to what he was saying? She'd completely ignored him when he asked if she had manners… unless her answer was her coming in and sitting on his bed.

"Seriously, I'm going to have to ask my dad why he chose you! You should have gone off to live with Sakura!" Ino lay back on the bed and rested her hands on her chest. "Now I can't even think of kissing you because the word INCEST pops into my head. Even though it wouldn't really be incest since we're not born from the same mother and we're not blood related. I am SOO glad that we're not blood related. That would be horrible! And…"

Sasuke shook his head and just walked over to his window before tuning Ino's whiney voice. _'Naruto better be in an even worse hell than me. If he's not… I'm going to kill someone…!' _His gaze moved over to Ino who was still yapping away on his bed. '_Preferably her…'_

"Sasuke-kun? Ino?" Haruka lightly knocked on the open door before coming in. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have some things to ask both of you."

"Sure, mom. What is it?" Ino sat up and gave her mom her full attention.

Why wasn't she a whiney brat with her? Sasuke asked, as he walked over to stand in front of Haruka to listen.

Haruka smiled and then said, "Well Inoichi is out on a mission and I've been assigned to one as well, so the flower shop downstairs will be left unattended. I'll be back before dinner so you guys won't go starving." Haruka laughed softly and it made Sasuke want to tear his ears off since it was similar to how his mother used to laugh. "Could both of you please go downstairs and run the store while I'm away?"

"Of course! We're Yamanaka's so we have to help each other out in everything. Sasuke and I will be downstairs in no time. Let me go get our aprons, go downstairs Sasuke." Ino got up from the bed and made her way out of the boy's room, leaving a smiling Haruka with a very serious Sasuke.

"It will only be for a while, so it won't be that bad. Thank you very much, Sasuke-_kun_." Haruka turned around and exited the room.

Sasuke groaned and shook his head; he was going to work in a flower shop. Great. He just hoped that no idiot from school or anyone he knew would see him and make fun of him because he was in no mood. As he walked out of his room to go downstairs he was cursing the damn laws and Itachi for making him an orphan. He really hoped that Itachi was suffering far more than he was at the moment.

"Finally Sasuke! I thought you were never going to come. Here, put this on." Ino threw something towards him before turning around to tend to the cash register that was beeping.

The scowling boy grabbed the piece of cloth and wondered what it was. Suddenly, it hit him. This was an apron… a pink apron!

"I am not wearing this!" Sasuke said, his voice almost growl sounding.

Ino slowly turned around with a raised eyebrow. "Really, now?"

--

Okay, so they were siblings now, but that Ino-pig would be able to see Sasuke come out of the bathroom shirtless! This made Sakura's blood boil. Little Ino's would skip around in her head following a half naked Sasuke saying, 'Oh, brother! Oh, brother! Oh, brother!' Why hadn't her father adopted Sasuke-kun instead? Sure they would be siblings but then it would be _her_ who would be able to see Sasuke-kun have naked!

Of course, being Haruno Sakura, she asked her father why he hadn't adopted him and Sakyou had answered, "Inoichi beat me to it, I'm sorry sweet pea."

"Stupid Ino! Why is she like that? That idiot thinks she's won, but how wrong she is!" The green eyed girl mumbled, as she made her way through the crowd to reach Ino's flower shop. Part of the reason why she was going to her rivals place was because she wanted to see Sasuke and pull Ino off of him and the other reason… was important information. Her expression became serious and she wondered how Ino would take the news. It wasn't bad news but knowing how Ino was, she'd probably take it as bad news.

Sakura finally reached the flower shop and a small smile formed on her lips. She'd go in and greet Mrs. Yamanaka before asking where Ino was and then Ino's mother would tell her she was upstairs and then, Sakura would go up the stairs and talk to Ino and see Sasuke. The girl lifted her hand and pushed the glass doors open.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop, how may I help you?"

The voice was flat and it didn't seem welcoming at all. Sakura wondered if this was a new employee that they had hired to work for them. The greeting actually sounded scary instead of warm and nice. The kunoichi kept walking towards the end of the shop until she stopped halfway. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Was Sasuke wearing a pink apron with green and yellow flowers in the front with the words, "I love flowers!" on it?

Sasuke's eyes widened too for a few seconds before he glared at his teammate. "Sakura…"

'_Great! It had to be her… the other crazy girl. Just great! What great time to come visit, Sakura.' _This was it! This was the last time he would ever wear this damn thing!

* * *

**Starry: **I actually do think this would happen if Sasuke were to go and live in Ino's house. Why are all the girls (Sakura and Ino) obsessed with him? He's just a scowling, bad tempered, revenge loving boy. Seriously. That's why I like Naruto the best, because he's awesome and cute and I love his little whiskers and his blue ares and... yeah I know he's an anime character but I'm sure there are a lot of worse girls (fangirls) out there. Anyways, thanks for reading! Tell me what you thought of this... and also if you could please answer the summary question! Thanks. 


	6. Roku: The Last Blossom is the Best

10 March 2007

**A word from Starry: **Here's chapter six for those of you who were waiting. I hope you guys enjoy it. I don't know if I'll update chapter seven tomorrow... I already have it finished but I need to write a five page essay that is due on Monday and I haven't done anything yet... So I need to work on that. Please enjoy this chapter! Thanks.

**Kind of a warning:** I'm a big Naruto fan and I'm reading the Manga and watch the Anime series, but I'm human so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'm not a computer so I don't memorize everything that is said so if I say or write something that is not correct, please bare with me! Thanks! Also, if they seem out of character, forgive me.

_**Summary:** _Everyone under 18 has to be adopted, no excuses. This new law will be causing trouble to a few individuals like: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and a few others. Who ends up living where? And who gets a new brother?

**Disclaimer:** Not Masashi, so don't bring problems!

**

* * *

**

**Oh, Brother – Roku – The Last Blossom is the Best**

"That is enough!" Hiashi held his left hand up, signaling that the match was over.

Both Hinata and Naruto stood in front of each other breathing hard and looking very tired. Their clothes had a few rips here and there, nothing major, and their faces were partially covered with dust from the ground.

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Naruto's face followed by another one. He was actually satisfied with how things had turned out. Hinata was actually a really good opponent, not weak at all! Heck, he felt bad for underestimating her but she'd made sure he felt that guilt, by managing to give him a few direct hits.

Hinata tried to control her breathing but her heart was beating fast and it wasn't helping her lungs at all. This had really been a workout, a fun work out! She was really happy because she'd finally shown her dad her Shugo Hakke technique. '_I did have a new technique!' _

Hiashi stood up from his seat and walked to the center of the yard were both teenagers were standing. His expression showed no sign of emotion so it was hard to tell if he was happy or disappointed in this. He stopped beside Naruto and faced him.

The Kyuubi bearing boy swallowed hard as he looked up at his new parent. He really hoped he'd managed to impress him somehow.

"Naruto-san, you are strong, far stronger than I had imagined. " Hiashi turned to look at Hinata for a brief moment before directing his attention back to Naruto. "I am pleased with your strength and abilities. You are ready for a lot of things, but you still need training to perfect some moves. Your stay here will help you improve very much, Naruto-san."

There was a sense of happiness that filled Naruto after Hiashi finished his speech. It felt great to please not only himself but others who expected things from you. His blue gaze moved over to Hinata and waited to hear what her father would say about her. He found that lately, he enjoyed staring at her light eyes. It gave him a calm and tranquil feeling. His thoughts were broken when he heard Hiashi address Hinata.

"Hinata, a lot of your moves were predictable and if this would have been a real battle, you wouldn't be standing here. You have to clear your mind from thoughts of what your opponent will do next and prepare your body to attack." Hiashi took a step towards his daughter, whose expression had now changed into a serious one.

She had really thought that this time she was really going to impress him, but how wrong she was. Hinata felt a heavy weight on her chest and she also felt disappointment settling in every inch of her body. Once more, Hanabi would be named stronger than her. What hurt the most now was that Naruto would hear all of this and think poorly of her. _'I need to get stronger…'_

"But,"

Hinata looked up at her father once more, this time with a surprised look on her face.

"I am please with your new technique as well as the fact that you are no longer falling on the ground or showing your weakness. You have improved, Hinata." The head of the Hyuuga clan did not wait to see a reaction from his oldest daughter. He turned around and began walking away from both Naruto and Hinata.

She couldn't believe it! Her father had actually said 'improved' to her! This was probably the happiest day here in the Hyuuga house for her. If only Hanabi was here to have heard him say that! She turned to look at Naruto and a small blush rose to her cheeks. "Y-you fought well, Naruto-kun." Her voice was the same soft voice she always had and she was really glad that it wasn't shaking with her excitement.

Naruto smiled at her and walked up to her. "You were awesome, Hinata! I'm very impressed with how strong you've gotten." The blond patted her on the back before giving her a thumbs up along with his really cute smile.

Was this a dream? Was Naruto actually touching her? Her face became hot and she felt her lips go into a bigger smile. "T-thank you!" she managed to say, her excitement trying to leak out with it.

"Hinata-sama, you've improved very much." Neji came up beside Hinata and bowed before her. "I'm glad to know that you will become a very strong opponent and I must train to not lose to you." He smiled at her before looking over at Naruto. "You've become even stronger than the last time I saw you fight. Congratulations."

Naruto beamed with a smile and laughed. "Thanks, Neji." The Hyuuga family wasn't so bad, he thought, as his gaze moved to Hinata. Her expression was a happy one and it made him happy knowing that she was content. He probably would have said something to her but Neji beat him to it. Damn.

"Will you be joining us in Naruto's tour of the house?" he asked the Hyuuga girl.

As much as she really wanted to, Hinata really couldn't do that. She had already made plans for today so she would have to decline that delicious offer. Walking beside Naruto-kun and staring at her… brother… "I can't, I have something to do. Gomenasai, Neji-niisan and Naruto-kun." Hinata bowed, a few strands of hair escaping her already loose ponytail.

"It's okay, I'm sure you'll be able to join us later on in the day." Neji smiled at his cousin before turning to look at Naruto. "Shall we get going, then? You still need to get a tour of the house and learn where everyone sleeps."

"Yeah, let's go." Naruto would prefer to train or go out and hang out with his friends but he knew that in order for him to not bring problems and stupid questions, he needed to learn as much as he could about his new home.

Hinata waved goodbye to the boys before turning around to leave to her room. Her mind was buzzing with her behavior in front of Naruto after the match. It was as if she was perfectly comfortable with the blond, and that was surprising! This morning she had had a nervous attack and she was sure that if she would have stayed out with him a bit longer, she would have fainted but that didn't happen. Did this mean that she was over her shyness with him? Hmm, probably not… Thinking about a shirtless Naruto made her blush. Why'd she do that? Oh yeah, she hadn't shaved her legs and she didn't want him to notice!

'_Lesson number one, when going out on missions don't forget your razor! Eww, how could I forget it? Well, I didn't know we were going to be gone for a month.'_ The girl sighed before closing the door to her room behind her. Her whole day was booked and all she needed to do now was find her duty and work on it.

Walking over to her closet, Hinata pulled out a beautiful lavender kimono with baby blue flowers decorating the obi. She'd been working on this for a year now and she was happy with how it was so far… except for the fact that she'd lost weight in the last month and the kimono fit her too big now. She'd have to fix it and make it a bit smaller to fit her frame perfectly!

Every year, Konoha had a festival in the summer that lasted the whole night. It was held behind the Hokage Mountain beside the river, making it the perfect spot for a festival. The previous year, she'd gone with her younger sister Hanabi and the older Hyuuga noticed that Naruto was there with Sakura. Sadness had immediately rushed through her as she witnessed the couple laughing before the pink haired girl hit the blond on the head. After that moment, Hinata had made a pact with herself… and that was that she was going to ask Naruto to be her date for the following year's festival.

Now a year later here she was sewing her kimono and building her courage to ask him. Oh, wait, Naruto is her brother now… Hinata stopped her stitching and stared at the outfit in front of her with sad eyes. '_Does this mean I can't ask him to be my date for that night?'_ Hinata gripped the needle hard and felt tears in the back of her eyes.

'_No, you can't cry, Hinata-chan! You can't. If you do, you're only proving that you're weak and that's something you're not!'_

'_Demo… I can't go to the festival with him as my date! He's my brother…'_

'_No, not blood brother. Step-brother.'_

'_Father will not approve. I know it, he will frown upon it! Plus, Naruto doesn't seem to be taking any hint about me liking him.'_

'_Why am I talking with my own thoughts?'_

'_I don't know…'_

Hinata sighed before resuming her work on her kimono and decided to just think about the whole thing after she was done with this.

--

"Where'd Neji go?" Naruto asked himself as he walked through the tall grass that surrounded the Hyuuga residence. The last time he'd seen the Hyuuga male was right after going outside to take a tour of the exterior of the house.

The blue eyed sixteen year old had now walked for a while and was getting tired. This house was huge! How come it looked so small from the outside? But it was the Hyuuga house, so he didn't know why he was getting so surprised.

"I wonder how Sasuke's doing," Naruto paused his walking for a second before bursting out in laughter. "I'm sure he hates living under the same roof with Ino. Idiot."

A few more steps and the boy came to a stop outside a particular window. Inside the room was Hinata with her back facing him. The blond walked closer to the window and was careful to not make his presence known.

If someone would have told him that his sister would be Hinata, he probably would have laughed and asked if the person who said that was alright. It was strange, he'd never had a sibling but he did have friends who he considered family, so it really wasn't _that_ strange. But why was it that he'd never noticed how nice it felt to just stare into her eyes while she talked or how cute she looked when her cheeks reddened and she stuttered.

Was this normal? Thinking things like this about your sister? He had never thought thoughts like these before so Naruto was pretty sure it was normal for a brother to think like that. What was she doing? He asked himself, as he leaned in a bit more to see if he could catch a glimpse of what she was doing.

Her arms were the only things that were moving while the rest of her body sat still. It reminded him of a painting. Where the beautiful object was in the center surrounded by everything that needed to admire it and the paint was blurred so the message was hard to get. Whoa, where had that come from? Perhaps he should stop spying on his sister and go back inside to find Neji. Yeah, that was a good idea.

Quietly as he had approached the window, he slowly turned around and quickly walked away from Hinata's bedroom window.

* * *

**Starry: **I hope you guys enjoyed this NaruHina chapter. :) I'm not good with fights and I'm pretty sure you guys noticed in my last chapter... haha yeah, but we're still liking the story, right? Please review and tell me what you thought, if not then that's okay, I guess. As long as you continue to read and like it! 


	7. Nana: The Duty of a Ninja

1 April 2007

**A word from Starry: **Sorry about the wait! I forgot to update due to essays and tests! But never fear, the chapter is here! So please enjoy! Thank you!

**Kind of a warning:** I'm a big Naruto fan and I'm reading the Manga and watch the Anime series, but I'm human so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'm not a computer so I don't memorize everything that is said so if I say or write something that is not correct, please bare with me! Thanks! Also, if they seem out of character, forgive me.

_**Summary:** _Everyone under 18 has to be adopted, no excuses. This new law will be causing trouble to a few individuals like: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and a few others. Who ends up living where? And who gets a new brother?

**Disclaimer:** I wish I owned them, but I don't!

* * *

**Oh, Brother – Nana – The Duty of a Ninja**

What was that scream? Ino thought, as she raced down the stairs and into the flower shop. The blond had been upstairs putting away the dishes when she heard a scream come from downstairs. Scared that it was probably Sasuke being attacked, she had quickly come to the rescue… except when she arrived she found that Sasuke wasn't the one who had screamed. Instead it had been…

"Sakura?"

The pink haired kunoichi stood in front of the cash register with her green eyes wide and her mouth open. One of her hands was stretched towards Sasuke, who was shooting daggers at her with his eyes.

Ino rolled her eyes and walked over to stand beside her brother. "Oh my gosh, Sakura, grow up! What is so shocking about Sasuke wearing an apron?" The blue eyed girl's hand went to her hip as she asked this.

Angry, Sakura stomped around the front desk and towered over Ino. "Idiot, Sasuke-kun doesn't deserve this punishment! It should be you wearing this awful thing!" The pink apron was pulled but completely not off, and that seemed to have pissed Ino off as well as Sasuke.

'_Great, now they're fighting over this damned apron. Can't they do this somewhere else?'_ Sasuke opened his mouth to say something but was immediately shut when he was tackled from behind. "What the?"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura glared at the Yamanaka girl and said, "Ino-pig! Release Sasuke-kun from your deathly talons now!"

"He's my brother and I can do what I want! If I want him to wear that apron, then he'll wear it." Ino stuck out her tongue at the medical ninja before grabbing Sasuke's head and turning it to face her. "Isn't that right, _Niichan_?" she giggled a really evil girly laugh and that's when Sasuke knew he would probably be killed if he were to say something right now.

Lucky for him, Sakura was there… and she did not like this at all. Jealousy bubbled over and the strong female ninja grabbed her friend's collar and pulled her off of the victim. "Yamanaka Ino! If your parents saw you harassing your brother like that, I'm sure they would be really_ really_ disappointed in you. Don't you have any honor? Incest is not allowed in Konoha! NEVER!"

Okay, so the last part of the jealous girl was a lie, but Ino didn't need to know that… unless she already knew it was a lie.

Ino glared at her pink haired friend before opening her mouth. "Sasuke is NOT my brother, you hear? If he was my brother he'd be ugly and-"

"Ino, I came to tell you something but obviously it won't happen if you just continue to open your mouth and shoot pointless words out." Sakura didn't let go of her friend's collar and pulled the infuriated girl away from Sasuke. "We'll be upstairs, Sasuke-kun."

'_Stay upstairs! Please! I don't need your company or her's.'_ Even after the crazy girls had left, Sasuke continued to glower and curse both of them in his head.

Now he had to be grateful to Sakura for pulling off the Ino leech off of him and he hated to be grateful! Because only stupid people like Naruto were grateful. And where the heck was Naruto? It had been two days since he had last seen the blond but he wanted to know who the idiot's new family was. Were they worse than the Yamanaka's? '_They better be,'_ he thought, gritting his teeth together as he imagined Naruto being fed grapes by a group of hot older sisters.

If the Uchiha boy hadn't been grimacing and plotting things the whole time, he would have heard the bell sound as someone opened the door and came into the flower shop.

"Sasuke?"

The grimacing boy jumped and quickly went into his attack stance, but when he saw it was just Shikamaru he relaxed a bit… until he remembered what he was wearing.

"What?" he asked, his now intense gaze locking with Shikamaru's surprised stare.

Poor kid, he thought, as he continued to look at Sasuke. He must hate his new home… "Is Ino upstairs?"

The Sharingan boy shivered involuntarily before moving his gaze to the back door. "She's upstairs with Sakura." Curiosity set inside him when he remembered that Sakura was here because she had important news to discuss with Ino. Was the lazy guy here for that same reason?

"Ah, I'm glad that both of them here. Means I can just talk with them and not have to move around so much. Thanks, Sasuke." Shikamaru waved at the boy behind the cash register before walking out of the back door and up the steps towards the girls.

'_I trust he'll keep quiet about me in this apron…'_ Deep down he wanted to know what was going on with his stupid new sister and his teammates. '_Hmm… I don't think the people will notice the store closed… so it won't hurt if it's closed for a few minutes…'_

--

"You heard me, Ino, there's a high possibility that you'll be going on another mission." Sakura stood in front of her friend, who had her arms crossed over her chest clearly showing how troubled she was. "Two medical ninjas are needed for this mission and Shizune-neechan can't go because she's needed by the Godaime. So that leaves just you and me available to go to the Sand village."

All Ino wanted to do was stay at home and rest for a few more days before going out on another mission. She knew that the only medical ninjas being taught with Tsunade's knowledge were Shizune, Sakura and herself. "Fine, I accept," she sighed, sitting down on the couch behind her.

"Good, I thought it would become troublesome and I'd have to drag you off with us. I'm glad you're going on your own will." Shikamaru walked in and gave the startled girls a small smile.

"Shikamaru? What are you doing here in my house?" Ino asked, forgetting what he'd just said.

"Well I'll be the team leader again, so I came to tell you about the mission but I'm glad that Sakura beat me to it. I didn't want to see your face when I told you about it." He didn't mean it as an insult and he knew that Ino would understand how he meant it. Besides, she would know how he was feeling about this since he had been the team leader for her previous mission.

"I guess you're not resting either," Sakura gave them both a gloomy look. The strong medical ninja felt bad because so far out of this team, she was the only one who was 100 percent rested and ready to go. But Ino and Shikamaru had just returned from a very long mission the day before and now they were expected to go to another one.

"It's alright though, because this mission will be shorter than the other one. We'll be back in four or five days, so it shouldn't be that bad." Shikamaru walked past Sakura and sat beside his Team 10 member.

"Who else will be going on this mission?" asked Sakura, her gaze moving from Ino to Shikamaru.

The shadow manipulator got up quickly and dusted off his vest. "Oh yeah, I still need to tell her. Thanks for reminding me."

"Another girl? So you'll be the only guy on this mission?" asked Ino, a smile on her face. Somehow, this sounded really tempting to the flower loving girl and it showed in her expression.

Sakura bit her lip to keep her from laughing at Ino's reaction. She too found this to be somewhat… hot? Shikamaru was good looking, he was just too lazy and that was something that turned her off but right now she wasn't thinking of that.

Noticing what he was going to go up against if he said anything else, Shikamaru inched his way towards the door. "We'll be leaving in two hours so prepare your things and don't be late! We meet at the Southern gates of Konoha. I suggest you go pack inform your family of this mission." With that, Shikamaru slipped out of the door leaving behind two laughing girls.

'_Why am I not being assigned to this mission? I haven't been on a mission for a while… so why did they assign Ino and Shikamaru, who just came back from one, to another assignment instead of using available nin's?' _Sasuke was now back in his spot behind the cash register, hoping that Shikamaru hadn't noticed an extra presence upstairs. He'd over heard their conversation and wondered why he wasn't being assigned to a task.

Shikamaru waved goodbye and stopped at the door right before walking out. "What's this?" he asked, pointing at the CLOSED sign that was put up. "You closed early today?" The Jounin asked, giving the fire Jutsu user a peculiar look. "Never mind, goodbye, Sasuke_-chan_…" The smart boy walked out of the store with his hands in his pockets.

'_Sasuke-CHAN!? What the heck was that for?'_ Sasuke was furious to the name calling but it was soon forgotten. '_Damn, I forgot to take the sign back down… Did he notice? Hmm…'_ The boy would have continued to think about the matter but the bell pulled him of his thoughts. It was another customer who happened to be an old lady. He'd have to go visit the Godaime and talk to her about a few things later on in the day.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop, how may I help you?" he said, trying to make his voice be more… welcoming. Was that even possible?

--

He never found Neji and he'd grown annoyed at the fact that he had become lost in his own house. Naruto was now walking back to the house where he would go and look for Hinata to talk to her and ask her a few questions. The blue eyed blond wanted to ask her about some more Hyuuga things as well as talk to her about their match earlier in the day.

The walk to the house seemed shorter and that was something the Kyuubi holding boy was happy for. He wouldn't have to get lost again in order to find the door leading inside. It was beautiful, but too big to actually admire everything, so he'd leave the admiring for a later time.

The young boy finally reached the back entrance to the house and went inside, happy to be home. Now, it was time to go into Hinata's room and talk. After taking off his ninja sandals, Naruto quietly made his way to his destination. He hadn't walked far when he heard two voices talking not to faraway from where he was. Recognizing the voices belonging to his sister and Shikamaru, Naruto decided to join the conversation but immediately stopped when he heard their conversation.

"Your Byakugan will be needed and seeing as Neji is away on a mission, you are the one left for this mission." The blond could see Shikamaru scratching the back of his head before speaking once more. "I know you're tired and haven't really gotten your rest but will it ease you to know that Ino and I will be on this mission as well?"

The heiress didn't really know what to say to that question. She really didn't want to go back out on another mission, especially since she was tired from the previous battle she'd had with Naruto. She was pretty sure she'd probably collapse from lack of rest during the way or somewhere along there. "It's alright, Shikamaru. There is no need to comfort me," Hinata gave him a small smile. "I accept the mission, after all, I am a ninja and missions are duties for a ninja."

Relieved, Shikamaru lowered his hand and smiled. "Yokkatta! I thought you'd decline this." The thin Jounin pocketed his hands before adding, "We will be leaving in less than two hours, so go get ready and inform your father. We'll be meeting at the South gate, so don't be late."

"Hn, I won't."

Noticing that Shikamaru and Hinata were both walking towards his spot, Naruto quickly hid behind a curtain that hung by the entrance. He wasn't really sure why he was behaving like this but he didn't want them to think he was a snooping bastard… even though he was pretty sure everyone knew he was.

He heard the door close and after letting a minute pass, Naruto decided to go question Shikamaru about this whole thing. Immediately, he opened the door and ran out after his friend.

* * *

**Starry: **How is the chapter? I hope you guys liked it! I'm pretty sure this story will be more than ten chapters long, so don't be afraid that the end is near... because it's not! Please review and tell me what you thought about it! Thanks! 


	8. Hachi: Goodbye

05 April 2007

**A word from Starry: **Here's the eight chapter of Oh, Brother! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! It makes me happy to know that this story is liked by a lot of people. I hope you continue to enjoy the story and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask! Now, on to the story!

**Kind of a warning:** I'm a big Naruto fan and I'm reading the Manga and watch the Anime series, but I'm human so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'm not a computer so I don't memorize everything that is said so if I say or write something that is not correct, please bare with me! Thanks! Also, if they seem out of character, forgive me.

_**Summary:** _Everyone under 18 has to be adopted, no excuses. This new law will be causing trouble to a few individuals like: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and a few others. Who ends up living where? And who gets a new brother?

**Disclaimer:** Not Masashi, so don't bring problems!

* * *

**Oh, Brother – Hachi – Goodbye**

"Shikamaru, wait!"

The Nara male stopped and turned around to see Naruto running up behind him. "Hey, Naruto, you're living here?" he asked after suddenly remembering the whole adoption law.

The blond stopped in front of his friend and nodded. "Yeah, I'm Hyuuga Uzumaki Naruto now," he said, a goofy smile on his face.

Shikamaru laughed a bit before shaking his head. "What was it that you needed to tell me? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"I know, but I was just wondering why I'm not assigned to go on this mission." He hadn't been on a mission for quite a long time and it was bothering him that Hinata, who had just returned from the previous mission, was assigned to leave for another one the next day!

"Ah," Shikamaru said, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it's just that for this mission only people who have traits for what is needed are allowed to go. For example, Hinata has the Byakugan and that's what is needed in this mission. Sakura and Ino are both medical ninjas and they're needed as well, so we've completed the team. I'm needed because Tsunade says I'm one of the good captains and the rest that are in the village wouldn't be able to carry this out."

The blue eyed boy nodded and kind of understood what his friend had said. Still, why wasn't he being assigned to this team? He had great power and he could surely help with it.

"Oh yeah, the Godaime wants you to go visit her later in the day. She didn't tell what it was for but it's important, so don't skip it." Shikamaru lowered his hand from the back of his head and pocketed. "Well I better be going I need to get ready. I'll see you around, Naruto."

"Bye," Naruto too turned around and began making his way back to his house. He was unsatisfied with what the other boy had told him but Shikamaru was in a hurry so he couldn't keep him here any longer.

--

Hinata was in her room packing the clean clothes that had been left here while she was away. The clothes she'd worn for the previous mission was dirty and she didn't have time to do the laundry, so the old clothes would have to suffice.

One more glance at her now finished kimono, Hinata felt the sadness inside her. Yeah, she was definitely not going to go to that damned festival. She was not going to have time to ask him to be her date since she would be out on the mission and even though she could still ask after coming back, she still had the whole brother thing to think over. Things were just getting even more complicated!

A small knock interrupted her thoughts and the lavender-eyed girl turned to see her life long crush standing there at her doorway. "Naruto-kun?"

"Can I come in?" The blond asked, scratching the back of his head.

What!? He wanted to come into her room? Eto, but no boys were allowed! Oh, right, this was her brother now. Looking around the clean room, Hinata blushed because she thought it was a mess and it was embarrassing not only because of that, but also at the fact that she was wearing her house clothes which looked like pajamas. Plus, her hair wasn't combed and she probably looked as though she'd been run over with a cart.

"S-sure, you may," she said, getting up quickly and pulling her small chair out so he could sit on it.

'_Just relax, Hinata-chan, just relax.'_

'_How can you relax?!? He's in your room and you look like you barely woke up when it's already two in the afternoon!!! DON'T TELL ME TO RELAX!'_

'_Hinata-chan! Come on, just relax. It's not like he's pointing at you and laughing or telling you that you look bad…'_

"Are you alright?"

"Eh?"

Naruto blinked, and thought maybe this wasn't a good idea. She was probably upset about being assigned another mission.

"I can leave if you want…"

"NO!"

"Huh?"

"Sorry!" Hinata bowed about three times, making her hair fly around. "I-I-I just… eto… "

'_Great Hinata-chan! You're ruining it with your stupid stuttering!'_

'_Well excuse me, let's see you try and talk to him without turning red or stuttering!'_

'_Fine! I will.'_

The dark haired girl looked as though she was in deep thought and Naruto wondered if she was alright or if she needed anything. "Hinata?"

"Hai," Hinata blushed, cursing herself and her voices. "I-I'm perfectly fine. I am just nervous about the upcoming mission." With shaky legs, Hinata managed to make her way over to her bed and take a seat.

So that was it! Naruto thought, as he nodded, thinking that she was cute the way she was right now. Eh? Was that normal for a brother to think of their sister?

"Don't worry, I'm sure everything will go as planned." Naruto looked down at his hands before looking back up at her. "Hey, Hinata, what were you doing earlier? I walked past your window and saw you with something." He wanted to know what she'd been working on when he kind of spied on her through the window.

He'd seen what she was doing before? The girl blushed a deep crimson red when she remembered she'd been half naked trying on the kimono to see if it fit her. Had he seen her doing that? "E-e-e-eto, a kimono…" Was it just her, or was the room really hot?

'_He saw you naked! HE SAW YOU NAKED, HINATA-CHAN!'_

"Really? Wow, I didn't know you could sew. Is it for the summer festival?" The blue eyed boy was happy for that since he always went with Sakura-chan and Sasuke. Well, now he was with a new family so he didn't know if they had traditions in going with family. He'd have to ask her Hinata… did she have a fever?

Hinata nodded, feeling a bit relieved to know that Naruto had NOT seen her _half_ naked. "Ano," her voice was so low, she was pretty sure he could not hear her. "Will you be going, Naruto-kun?" After finishing the question, Hinata began holding her breath.

"I don't know," was his answer, as he scratched his head. Leaning back on the chair, Naruto looked up at the ceiling and shrugged. "I might. What about you?" His blue gaze was no fixed on the Hyuuga heiress.

"I don't know either," she said, casting her gaze to the floor. His answer made her feel a bit sad and she wondered if he was actually thinking of going with Sakura-san again this year.

"Why's that?"

Hinata looked up when he asked the question and she felt a small blush rise to her cheeks. What was it about him that made her feel like this? She wondered, before answering her own question. The way he was, just him, he was perfect in her eyes and she loved it.

"Well, I'll probably be on the mission and," at this, she began to get nervous again. "a-and the person I want to go with, m-m-might be g-going w-w-w-with s-s-s-someone e-else." She swallowed, slowly looking up to meet the boy's gaze.

Naruto could take his eyes off of her as she spoke and immediately wondered who it was she had in mind about asking. For some reason, Kiba popped into his head and a strange feeling rose up inside of him, but he didn't know what it was. Brotherly love? "I'm sure you'll make it in time, Hinata, and I'm pretty sure the person you want to go with will still be here for you." He smiled at her, extending his arm out and patting her on the shoulder.

Her eyes widened a bit and her heart began beating fast. Should she do it? Should she ask him right now and see if he'll go with her?

'_I-N-C-E-S-T-!'_

'_Oh shut up! It's not incest, we're not blood related. It's not incest…'_

'_Father will not like it.'_

"Is there something wrong?" Pulling his hand away, Naruto gave Hinata a questioning look. Should he have done that? He wondered, a sense of happiness after doing that.

_I'm doing it!_

_What?!?_

"Hinata?"

"N-N-Naruto, w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-like," her heart was now pounding against her chest, her breathing getting faster. "t-t-t-to-"

"Hinata-neechan! Is Neji-Niisan on a mission?" Hyuuga Hanabi walked into her older sister's room and stopped when she saw Naruto and a very weird looking Hinata. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't know you guys were busy." The young Hyuuga blushed a bit before bowing down to show that she indeed mean her apology.

"Oh, it's okay," Naruto got up from the chair and smiled at the young girl. "I'll be leaving now, I need to finish unpacking. What was it that you were going to tell me, Hinata?"

_Ha! I knew it wasn't going to happen._

_Shut up._

"Oh, e-eto, it was nothing. I-I-I just wanted to thank you for coming making me company before my mission leave." Hinata smiled a sad smile. All her courage had immediately left her when her younger sister had walked in. If Hanabi hadn't interrupted, Hinata was sure she would have asked him the question.

"WHAT? You're leaving again?" Hanabi quickly took a seat in the chair that Naruto had occupied. "Does father know?"

"Iie," Hinata said, her eyes lingering on Naruto for a bit before moving over to her sister. "I'll tell him before I leave though." Now she really didn't want to go.

"I'll see you guys later. I'll be in my room if I'm needed." Naruto waved at the girls before walking out of the small room and leaving the two sisters alone.

Hinata felt everything in her body deflate as she watched Naruto disappear behind the closed door. So close… so close…

--

"You're leaving?" Haruka's eyes were becoming teary eyed and her arms went around her blonde daughter. "But you've only been here for a day!"

"I know, but I'm really needed. It's an emergency." Ino hugged her mother back and she too had tears leaking out of her eyes. This was one of the hardest things everything she left for a mission, saying goodbye to her mother.

Sasuke felt a bit uncomfortable just standing there watching the affection between mother and daughter. He felt as though he didn't belong there and should be downstairs cleaning the flower shop. But Haruka had asked him to close the store for a few minutes and come upstairs to bid farewell to Ino, who was now leaving for her mission. Something he was happy about.

"Sasuke," Ino said, her eyes welling up with more tears. "I'll miss you!"

Before the Uchiha could do anything, two thin arms were wrapped around him and Ino's face was pressed right next to his face. He could feel her tears wet his skin and his heart was beating fast with this close proximity. He was stiff and his face clearly showed that he did not like this, at all.

Feeling how awkward he was, Ino pulled away and gave him a sad smile. You'll be happy to see me off, eh, Sasuke?" The blonde shrugged before grabbing her backpack and putting it on. "I'll be back though, and the fun will continue!" With that, the blonde walked out of the door.

Sasuke shuddered, noticing the evil glint in her eye when she said that. He would have to enjoy the peacefulness of the house while she was away.

--

After saying goodbye to her father, Naruto and Hanabi, Hinata went to her room to get her things and head off. Before walking out of her room, she glanced back at her kimono and a small smile appeared. She'd be back and when she was, she'd ask Naruto-kun to be her date and they'd have a good night. "Yosh," she said, as she closed her room door and began her way towards the front door.

Once outside, Hinata turned around and looked at her home with a few tears welling up in her eyes. She would sure miss this house while she was away, especially Naruto, whom she had barely seen after a month of being away.

_No use crying, Hinata-chan. You had your chance. Let's go, they're waiting for us._

…

_No comeback?_

…

_Fine, I'll shut up._

Turning around, the lavender eyed girl continued walking towards the southern gate of Konoha to meet her team. What Hinata didn't notice was the loud and obnoxious blond staring at her through his room window with a sad expression on his face and a small wave he'd been giving her.

--

When Ino arrived at the gate, Sakura and Shikamaru were there already and Hinata was barely arriving alongside her. The two girls smiled at each other before waving at their team leader.

"Sorry about being late, I had a few problems with saying goodbye to my _hot_ brother." Ino gave a mischievous look to Sakura, who immediately began glaring at her. "It was so hard to stop hugging him since we were both crying and clinging onto each other. Our chests were touch-"

"INO-PIG!"

Shikamaru shook his head. How troublesome… two girls fighting ninety-nine percent of the time. Gah. "Alright, then, everyone's here, so let's go!"

The three kunoichi's nodded and followed their leader out of the village, heading towards the Hidden Village of the Sand.

* * *

**Starry: **So off they go, onto their mission! Let's see what will happen next! And I'm not forgetting about Naruto and Sasuke, so don't worry. Please review and tell me what you thought of it. Thanks. 


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